Stem cells for cancer. Cancer is a topic under intense investigation worldwide, yet many questions remain about how this disease develops.

How Does Cancer Originate, and How Do Tumors Develop?

The cancer Sc theory explains how some cancers are generated and why some patients experience relapses.

What Do We Know?

Mutations in genes regulating cell division can turn healthy cells into cancer cells, but the process by which these cells develop into tumors is still unclear.

Only some tumor cells continue to divide and multiply. This observation has led to two theories about tumor growth.

According to the “cancer SC model,” cancer SC generates all other cells in the tumor. Some tumor cells may divide briefly, but only cancer stem cells can generate new cells indefinitely.

The “stochastic model” posits that many cells in a tumor reproduce, differentiate, and contribute to tumor growth similarly.

According to the National Cancer Institute, Stem transplants restore blood-forming stem cells in individuals whose stem cells were destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to treat certain cancers.

What Are Researchers Studying?

Much remains unknown about cancer stem cells, including whether they exist in all cancer types. No definitive data support one theory over the other, and different cancers may follow different models. Researchers are seeking more direct evidence of the presence of cancer stem cells in tumors.

Researchers are trying to determine which cells become cancerous: Can it be any cell, or can cancer stem cells only arise from natural stem cells with mutated genes?

What Are the Challenges?

Researchers aim to understand the influence of different genes, mutations, signals, and environments on cancer stem cell behavior.

This is not an easy task, as studying cancer SC often requires isolating the cells in a laboratory, where their behavior might differ from that in the body’s environment.

Summary

Some cells in the human body can divide to produce new cells in a highly controlled process that allows the body to grow and replace lost or damaged cells during adulthood.

In cancer, cells divide uncontrollably, eventually forming an abnormal mass of cells known as tumors. Cancer cells escape this control due to mutations in their genes.

Mutations accumulate typically due to cell division and aging, but certain combinations of genetic mutations can cause cancer.

Don’t miss our article on Unlocking the Future: Stem Cell Applications in Modern Medicine.